Terrapin Care Station dispensary in Aurora debuts the first Automated Cannabis Experience machine
By TINEY RICCIARDI | cricciardi@denverpost.com | The Denver Post
February 9, 2023 at 6:00 a.m.
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Cannabis consumers who stop by Terrapin Care Station dispensary in Aurora can now buy weed the same way they might buy their favorite munchies: from a vending machine.
In early February, the company installed what’s technically called an Automated Cannabis Experience (ACE), a large machine that enables customers to order marijuana products via touch screen and dispenses them ready to be taken home. Terrapin Care Station developed ACE in partnership with Canadian vending machine company BMC Universal Technologies, billing it as the first fully automated cannabis kiosk on the market.
The Boulder-based company first unveiled the dispenser at MJBizCon trade show in November, where industry personnel and avid enthusiasts lined up daily to try it out.
“It was crazy, it felt like we had an amusement park ride there,” said spokesperson Peter Marcus.
Locals who want to see the new technology for themselves can head to Terrapin Care Station at 11091 E. Mississippi Ave. in Aurora, which boasts the only ACE in use at this time. When they arrive, they still need to check in with and show proof they are at least 21 years old to a dispensary representative to be granted entry.
But once inside the pot shop, they can complete their purchases without ever interacting with a budtender.
Customers simply walk up to the machine, scan their ID, and use a touch screen to peruse the menu and fill their digital basket. The ACE can hold up to 1,152 products, Marcus said, and because it’s refrigerated, consumers can order concentrates that require being stored at a certain temperature, as well a